When we talk about women’s health, the conversation often centres on care, research or access to treatment. Increasingly, there is recognition that women’s health is not only a healthcare issue, but also a major factor shaping women’s ability to participate fully in work and life.
When women experience barriers to care, delayed diagnoses or ongoing health challenges, the effects often extend far beyond health matters alone, influencing career progression, income stability, caregiving responsibilities, financial planning and long-term financial stability. Those impacts can also carry broader consequences for women, their families, communities and the economy.
A report by the McKinsey Health Institute estimates that women spend 24% more time in poor health than men, and that closing this gap in Canada could contribute up to $37 billion to Canada’s GDP annually by 2040. Many of the conditions that contribute most significantly to the women’s health gap overlap directly with women’s prime working years, shaping careers, earnings, and financial resilience.
In other words, the women’s health gap not only affects healthcare outcomes, it also shapes how women are able to participate in the workforce, build financial stability and plan for the future over time.
That research quantifies what many women already understand firsthand: health and financial well-being are deeply connected. In many cases, the challenge is not simply the health condition itself, but the fact that healthcare systems and workplaces have historically been slow to recognize and support women’s health realities.
This is one of the insights at the heart of Leading Beyond the Gap: Blueprint for Action, developed by Women’s Health Collective Canada with the McKinsey Health Institute, alongside experts and partners across the country, with support from public awareness partners Desjardins Insurance.
The Blueprint presents practical actions needed to close the women’s health gap and strengthen the healthcare, workplace and support systems that shape women’s lives. As public awareness partners for the Blueprint, Desjardins Insurance supported the initiative because of the growing connection between women’s health, financial confidence and long-term quality of life.
When it comes to women’s health and prosperity, “There is a clear and meaningful link,” says Amélie Gagnon, Vice-President, Transformation and Products at Desjardins Insurance.
“When women face health challenges — whether related to mental health, cancer, caregiving responsibilities or menopause — it can quickly affect their work, income stability and ability to manage everyday expenses.”
Mental health concerns, caregiving responsibilities, chronic conditions, cancer, menopause and other life-stage realities can shape how women move through their careers and manage financial decisions over time. Often, the effects are gradual rather than dramatic: reduced hours, delayed career progression, increased stress, interrupted savings goals, less time to focus on financial planning or growing uncertainty about what comes next. Over time, these pressures can quietly shape women’s long-term financial resilience and economic opportunities.
Many of the conditions driving the women’s health gap intersect directly with women’s working lives and caregiving responsibilities. Hormonal health and menopause are particularly striking examples because they so often intersect with women’s peak earning and leadership years.
Research cited in the Blueprint notes that menopause symptoms affect approximately 95% of women in Canada, with many experiencing significant impacts on work, income and career progression. This one highly common condition can significantly shape women’s daily well-being, confidence and participation in work, even though in many cases its symptoms can be managed effectively with treatment. Still, many women either don’t know that treatment options exist or struggle to access them.
More broadly, many of the realities shaping women’s health also shape how women navigate work, caregiving and financial pressures across different stages of life.
For example, approximately 52% of women provide care to a child or an adult, and among them, 64% dedicate more than 20 hours per week to caregiving responsibilities.
“This role, which is often demanding, can significantly reduce the time and energy available to manage finances and, in some cases, hinder women’s ability to make informed decisions,” says Ms. Gagnon.
Another theme emerging from this work is the role confidence plays in both health and long-term financial well-being. When information is difficult to access, unclear or overwhelming, it can affect not only healthcare decisions, but long-term planning and financial resilience as well.
“Clear, reliable health information helps women recognize symptoms sooner, understand their options, think ahead about financial impacts and make choices that fit their life priorities,” Ms. Gagnon says. “That kind of clarity also helps women make decisions with greater confidence and resilience over time.”
That idea of confidence is becoming more important as institutions, employers and insurers rethink how they support women throughout different life stages.
“What stood out most is how clearly the Blueprint connects women’s health with the realities of work and long-term economic participation,” says Ms. Gagnon. “Women spend more years in poorer health than men, often during their working lives, which affects not only the health system, but also employment, productivity and financial security.”
“Supporting women’s health therefore means more than addressing individual needs,” Ms. Gagnon says. “It means helping them maintain stability, confidence and the ability to keep moving toward what matters to them at every stage of life.”
Closing the women’s health gap is therefore not only about improving care. It is also about building workplaces, institutions and support systems that better reflect the realities of women’s lives.
Ultimately, the conversation around women’s health is evolving from one focused solely on healthcare gaps toward a broader recognition that women’s health shapes economic participation, financial resilience and long-term quality of life, and how these, in turn, can influence health. The opportunity is not only healthier lives, but greater financial stability, participation and long-term resilience for women, families, workplaces and the broader economy.
Meaningful progress, Ms. Gagnon says, starts with recognizing women’s health realities not as exceptions, but as a natural and important part of how women live, work and participate in the economy.